Why You Should Consider Paying Your Employees Every Week

There are thousands of companies running Gusto today and all of them have unique stories. We love hearing from our entrepreneurs because it not only inspires us, it also gives us insight on how we can improve. We’re excited to share that weekly payroll is now an option for our customers.

Why is weekly payroll important? To answer that, we have to give a little background on how wages are paid in the United States. Most companies run payroll either semi-monthly (twice per month, for example, every 15th and 30th) or biweekly (every two week, for example, every other Friday). Which you choose depends on your preferences (which we will cover in a separate post). Generally speaking, employees prefer getting paid more frequently because it’s the best alignment of work and earnings.

Hourly employees, in particular, prefer getting paychecks weekly. Weekly payroll better matches an hourly employee’s cash flow needs. If an hourly employee has an irregular working schedule with overtime, weekly payroll best reflects the compensation she’s earned. For example, if an employee works 60 hours one week and 20 hours the next, weekly payroll makes sure the employee is paid that valuable overtime in the first week when she may need it most.

We are inspired by employers who care about the financial welfare of their employees because we think these builders make stronger, longer-lasting businesses. One such business is Rockwall, Texas-based San Martino Winery & Vineyards. Owner Emilio Ramos articulates:

“We prefer weekly payroll due to having mostly hourly employees. It is easier on their finances and cash flow.”

Unfortunately, most companies don’t offer weekly pay periods even if their employees would benefit from it. One of the most prohibitive reasons is cost. Most payroll vendors charge each time payroll is run. If you have dozens of employees on weekly schedules, these fees can add up. Fortunately, Gusto never charges per payroll run; we have a transparent, flat monthly fee per employee.

Another stumbling block for weekly payroll is time. Each time you run payroll, it can take up a lot of time for you or your payroll administrator, especially if there are payroll accruals and overtime. Gusto handles all this for you with our AutoPilot feature so you can go back to running your business!

“In the trades (construction, plumbing, electrical), it’s typical for workers to get paid weekly. Historically, in the construction industry, people can get burned. Projects can sometimes go belly up and workers don’t get paid, so people get nervous. People come in, they do the work and at the end of the week, they get the pay and they go. That’s the way it’s always been done.”

We strongly believe employees deserve to be paid promptly and without complications. Weekly payroll accomplishes this for tens of millions of hourly workers, and Auto-Pilot enables companies to do that without any extra effort or cost.

For a simple run-down on what payroll period is best for your company, check out the Gusto Guide on Payroll Periods:

About Tomer London

Tomer is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Gusto. He is responsible for the development and execution of the product vision — reimagining how modern payroll, benefits, and compliance should operate. Follow Tomer on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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About Gusto

Gusto’s mission is to create a world where work empowers a better life. By making the most complicated business tasks simple and personal, Gusto is reimagining payroll, benefits and HR for modern companies. Gusto serves over 60,000 companies nationwide and has offices in San Francisco and Denver.